Just over half of Amazon Fresh stores are equipped with Just Walk Out. The technology allows customers to skip checkout altogether by scanning a QR code when they enter the store. Though it seemed completely automated, Just Walk Out relied on more than 1,000 people in India watching and labeling videos to ensure accurate checkouts. The cashiers were simply moved off-site, and they watched you as you shopped.
This is like 90% of AI companies. They promise an automation to get investment, IP claims, etc, but then actually use a ton of global south labor to run it. They usually try to actually build the tech but there’s not much pressure because the cheap overseas labor option does actually function, albeit without the savings they promised.
I’ve seen many and even been a part of a few projects intended to eliminate the need for labor. They almost always end up costing as much or more than just improving working conditions, training, and developing tools to allow the workers to work more effectively. Meanwhile my last company wouldn’t fork out the money to fix or replace the failing roof AC unit that caused me and my overdressed coworkers to find every excuse we could to go be somewhere else in the building.
Oh yea it’s Marx predicted this time
This is what really blackpilled me on the “AI boom”. It would have a lot of problems even if it was exactly what it says it is, but in practice in many cases it’s another avenue for outsourcing/unequal exchange.
It’s super hard to get the average person to care about this though because they already know their treats are based in slave labor and don’t give a fuck. They just see a shiny new toy in whatever context